Anglais
Canada still short of police officers trained to spot drug-impaired drivers
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The number of police officers trained to recognize drug-impaired drivers is lagging far behind the number that police chiefs said would be needed after cannabis is made legal for recreational use nationwide on Oct. 17.
According to a senior government official, 833 Canadian police officers have been trained as drug recognition experts (DREs). That’s a far cry from the 2,000 the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said should be trained to fulfil the government’s push to crack down on drug-impaired drivers.
While the number of DRE-trained officers has increased by 50 per cent since last fall, government officials have said more work must be done to push that number higher.
Moreover, while the government has introduced three new criminal offences involving cannabis-impaired driving, they all require a positive blood test from a suspect before a Crown attorney can secure a conviction.
Right now, the vast majority of police forces across the country are not equipped to draw a blood sample at a police station or detachment. In fact, government officials said Friday they weren’t aware of a single police service in the country capable of drawing blood at a station or detachment.
Officials said police forces could tap federal funding to hire nurses or a technician to draw the samples they need.
The three new drug-related offences — now in effect after Bill C-46 passed Parliament in June — are for drivers who have consumed drugs within two hours of driving.
A driver found to have at least two nanograms, and less than five nanograms, of THC per millilitre of blood could face a maximum fine of up to $1,000. (THC is the primary psychoactive found in cannabis.)
A driver caught with a blood THC level of more than five nanograms, or found to have been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis at the same time, faces a fine and the prospect of jail time. In more serious cases, a drug-impaired driver can face up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.
Police who are certified DRE experts undergo a series of practical training sessions — a program developed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police — to help them identify drivers who are impaired but aren’t under the influence of alcohol. The program is designed to enhance a police officer’s ability to spot the common signs of drug use.
Unlike cannabis impairment, alcohol impairment is relatively easy to detect because there is a closer correlation between the results of drivers’ breathalyzer tests and their blood alcohol levels.
While the government has given a green light to one oral fluid device — which can help road patrol police officers detect the presence of drugs — police services still need DRE-trained officers since not all drugs can be screened for at the roadside, and there isn’t enough evidence to set limits for every substance.
A DRE-trained officer takes a suspected impaired driver through a 12-step process which includes physical tests, the collection of urine or saliva samples, if necessary, and questions to determine the driver’s state of mind.
An assessment from a DRE-trained police officer could be enough on its own to level an impaired-driving charge against a driver under other, potentially less punitive Canadian laws that are meant to discourage people from driving while high.
Drug recognition experts are not the front-line officers trained to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) — roadside tests to identify drug-impaired drivers. Rather, DREs are trained to test drivers once they’ve already been stopped for a drug-impaired driving offence.
« We wish to, once again, assure all Canadians that failure to reach the target of 2,000 DREs in Canada does not prevent the police from being able to detect and deal with drug-impaired drivers today and once cannabis is legalized on October 17, 2018, » the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said in a statement.
« Canadian police services are working diligently to increase the number of trained officers while ensuring that there is a strategic deployment of trained police officers across each jurisdiction. »
Government sending mailer to 14 million households
After a fractious debate in Parliament and impassioned arguments between prohibitionists and those demanding a more permissive regime, recreational marijuana possession will be legal nationwide in two weeks’ time.
The government is sending a postcard-size document to 14,000,000 Canadian households over the next two weeks. The document outlines some of the basics of Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, including warnings about driving or working while high and the need to keep cannabis away from children, youth and pets.
It also warns of the potential health effects of ingesting cannabis and the risks involved in travelling with cannabis across the Canada-U.S. border.
Canadians will be receiving pamphlets in the mail as part of the federal government’s public education plan ahead of cannabis legalization on Oct. 17. (CBC)
Starting on Oct. 17, more and more Canadian travellers to the U.S. could be forced to answer an uncomfortable question by wary American customs officers: Have you ever smoked pot?
Those who tell the truth risk being banned from the United States for life and might have to apply for a special waiver in order to visit the U.S. in future.
Thousands of Canadians have been denied entry to the U.S. for cannabis use already, while others have been banned simply for admitting they’ve smoked a joint once in their lives. For American border guards, a confession is just as good as a conviction.
While some U.S. states have dismantled prohibition — including Washington, a border state — possession remains a criminal offence federally. And the U.S. border is governed by federal law.
It also will be illegal for travellers to bring cannabis to Canada from abroad.
New signs will be posted at the border warning travellers. A government official said Friday that all Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) guards will be required to ask each and every traveller about cannabis possession at the border, and a question about cannabis use will be added to the declaration forms travellers fill out when entering Canada by air.
Provinces responsible for retail
While the federal government’s legislation dismantles many of the criminal sanctions against the drug, it’s up to individual provinces to decide on the practical details of cannabis sales, and rules on where and when someone can light up.
As with many aspects of law in the patchwork of Canadian federalism, the rules vary considerably depending on where you live. In general, the legal age has been harmonized with the current drinking ages: 18 or 19.
Ontario will restrict legal sales to an online portal until some point in the spring when private stores will be up and running (April has been tentatively suggested). The Ontario Cannabis Store, a government-owned entity, will be the exclusive wholesale and distributor to those stores.
Other provinces, like Quebec and most of Atlantic Canada, are pursuing a Crown corporation approach with distribution and sales controlled by an arm of the provincial government. In the West, retail sales will be handled largely by the private sector.
Municipalities will have leeway to implement their own bylaws on the location of stores and other local matters. Apartment buildings and condo boards will have their own restrictions, with many already opting for a restrictive stance banning cannabis consumption on their properties, both inside and out.
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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.
In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.
Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.
With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.
Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”
“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.
The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.
When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.
“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”
MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.
MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.
The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.
The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.
Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.
STUDIO SHORTAGE
The film industry is cramped in Montreal.
According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.
With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.
Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »
« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.
She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.
« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.
There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.
« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.
Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.
For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.
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